Unquestionably the most highly-anticipated vehicle of the last five years – one that provides stellar performance and jaw-dropping looks at a price attainable for the masses – the Chevrolet Camaro was already immediate success for General Motors even before the first one was sold.
Although this isn’t our first time behind the wheel, it is our first opportunity to spend a solid week in a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS , the biggest “in” thing and “must have” of the season Detroit has produced in our memory.
What is it?
A muscle car for the new millennium, the Camaro SS is the latest in a line of two-doors that stretched from 1966 (as a 1967 model) to its fourth generation model, which ceased production in 2002. The fans never went away – as evidenced by the hefty waiting list you’ll encounter at a dealership today. They just got older and, er, paunchier. And that’s somewhat like the car that we have here today.
On the other hand, though, the new Camaro is on a mission to attract millennials to the car and the brand, a group that has been enamored with imports from the Far East. After a night hanging out at the neighborhood Sonic Drive-In, we’d say Chevrolet has succeeded. Adults were generally too embarrassed (or too cool) to approach, but that didn’t stop the teens working behind the counter or skating orders to the cars.
Our tester is an up-level Camaro 2SS equipped with the RS appearance package.
What’s it up against?
The gang’s all here: Most of the Camaro’s old rivals — the Mustang, and the Challenger – are around, but let’s take a moment of silence for the Plymouth Barracuda and Pontiac Firebird.
Our Camaro SS test car, with 426 horsepower, slots in nicely, spec-wise, with the pricier Dodge Challenger SRT8, and it positively whips the 315-pony Mustang GT – at least on paper.
GM thinks owners of Nissan ’s 370Z, BMW 3-Series are in the Camaro’s gun sights. We don’t expect just a whole lot of cross-shopping.
Any breakthroughs?
For one thing, this is a Camaro that handles – but more on that later. With a huge Corvette-based V8 under the hood, special care had to be taken to conserve fuel in this modern era of careful consumption. Start with a Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual transmission with short throws and a 1-4 gas-saving shift mode, when speed is sufficient to bypass the other gears.
For encounters with a “Christmas tree” in the middle of summer, a competitive/sport mode and Performance Launch Control assist with consistency when leaving the line.
How does it look?
This new Camaro takes the best looks from the 1969 model and updates them to safety and performance requirements of the current day. The result is a car that looks the part even though, when posed next to its inspiration, looks totally different. A chopped top and 20-inch wheels help make the car “mean.” So too, the evil grin that peeks out from below the hood. Overall, we think it’s a nicely-executed effort.
The Australian-sourced Holden Commodore platform that underpins the Canadian-built, All-American Camaro is a good basis for the hot rod that this Camaro SS wants to be. It features the long nose/short tail look that is de rigueur in a modern grand touring machine. A side crease helps to define the flanks from front to rear wheel wells. A simulated hood scoop hints at the level of performance underneath, while a larger front intake under bumper sucks in whatever it can to keep things cool inside.
Like it or not, it’ll still stop just about anyone in their tracks – even though it has been on the market all summer long.
And on the inside?
Although the heart thumps the beat of a Corvette, this ride can seat four. Leather buckets in our test example offered good bolstering that holds occupants in place firmly during hard cornering. A retro-looking gauge package in a black binnacle on the dashboard is offset by silver trim pieces ringing the needles. We nicked the Camaro initially because of a rather bland looking expanse of black plastic, but that was a pre-production model. A silver strip of trim that bisects the dash and adds visual interest at the same time made it into the production model.
A Boston Acoustics audio system commands attention from atop the center stack,and has controls that, frankly, remind us of a Japanese toy robot. Below that is an optional four-gauge package that houses a voltmeter, transmission fluid temperature, oil pressure and oil temperature gauges. We like that they are included, even if they look a little gimmicky in their execution. We don’t care for their placement being so low on the dash, far enough to cause you to actually take your eyes off the road to check them out.
The rear seat can accommodate two for short rides to the drive-in or shopping mall. They offer good support as well but owing to the sloping roofline, they are short on headroom. Chances are if this is your ride, you won’t spend much time in the backseat anyway.
Oh, and those monster roof pillars? Yep, they block any ounce of a view. The blind spot is more of a blind zone. Hey, it’s the price you pay for this kind of style.
But does it go?
Gone are the days when GM would stuff an anemic 200 horsepower V8 under the hood of its Corvettes and Camaros to comply with emissions regulations. A so-called icon or halo-car with that underhood would be the equivalent of a gelding racehorse.
So GM took the high road, putting an LS3 6.2-liter Corvette engine under the Camaro’s hood and the result is magical. An intoxicating gurgle greets you after turning over the ignition. Gauges jump to life, sweeping through their entire range before settling down, and then we are off.
The sequentially fuel injected LS3 V8 develops 426 horsepower and 420 lb-ft. of torque when coupled with the Tremec. Owing to the active fuel management workings on the automatic transmission-equipped L99 engine, output is slightly down to 400-horsepower, with 410 lb-ft. of torque. No matter though, as we like to row our gears ourselves.
The six-speed, is the same box of cogs as found in the Ford Shelby Mustang and Dodge Challenger and offers precise throws, and quick shifts, except for the first time we encountered the 1 to 4 “skip-shift” fuel saving mode. Thankfully it only engages when throttle is at low load, typically below 21 percent.
Tipping in at 3,849 pounds, it is by no means a lightweight. At just 151 pounds shy of two tons, this baby needs all the help it can get to achieve the rather optimistic EPA ratings of 16 mpg city/24 mpg highway. At best, with a combination of city and highway driving, admittedly including some track time, we saw an average of 13.8 mpg. Expect better if you don’t drive like, well, a car enthusiast. Still, it is impressive to be cruising up the Florida Turnpike at 80-mph, and notice that the engine is only turning 2,000 rpm.
This fifth-generation Camaro is the first to ever sport a multi-link independent rear suspension. The FE3 package with coilovers that accompanies the V8 model, helps to smooth out the road imperfections we saw in Michigan this past summer; On our Florida routes, it offered great road feel that was transferred directly through the rack and pinion steering with its 16.1:1 ratio. Four-pot Brembo calipers put the squeeze on the rotors following spirited romps on a straight. Overall, the handling package on the Camaro SS is one that is a very competent – with a few caveats.
Running a few evaluation laps at our official South Florida test facility, Palm Beach International Raceway, saw a quick launch with the Tremec taking whatever abuse we could heap upon it. Through pit-out and into the hard left, we found ourselves rapidly accelerating up the front straight to our first hard braking point. Stand on the binders hard, and cut the apex as you round turn four. Squeeze the throttle on exit and you’ll quickly find yourself in turn five, a sweeping right-hander that causes the car to drift out to the track’s left side before hitting the almost 90-degree right hand turn six. By this time the faint smell of torching brake pads starts to waft its way into the cockpit. Hold on a little more through seven and eight, and then stand on it down the nearly half mile back straight, before standing on the Brembos one more time through the wide sweeper that leads through turns 10 and 11. Then squeeze the throttle once more and rejoice in all the fossil fuels being toasted in the eight firing cylinders up from. The sounds out the back are totally intoxicating.
We pull into the pits once again to find severely smoking brakes. Perhaps it was a set of pads that were glazed over by a previous driver in our test vehicle, or perhaps a heavy application of pedal foot. Regardless, the brake system showed off its displeasure at being flogged during the previous four laps around the 2.034-mile road course.
It’s obvious this new Camaro SS has to be many cars to many people, and compromises must be made to appeal to every group, without breaking the bank. The SS, which already features a lowered suspension set up over its RS sibling, could stand another couple of inches of drop, in addition to some additional ride stiffening – at least as an option.
Despite those few minor quibbles, in a street fight, the Camaro SS would definitely be a capable weapon of choice.
Why you would buy it:
You’re a red-blooded, meat-eating American who wants to create some American Graffiti memories of your own.
Why you wouldn’t:
Because you have changed your ways, leading an exclusively green lifestyle from your car (Prius) to your food intake (tofu).
Leftlane’s bottom line:
GM, currently in the fight of their corporate life, has already proven they can build cars the public wants. This new Camaro is only the icing on that cake.
With looks that touch those who remember the original and appeal to a whole new group of fanboys and girls, they will sell every copy they can crank out. Hopefully for GM’s future, they will sell lots of other Chevys, Buick s, GMC s and Cadillac s, as well.
It’s a lofty ambition, to be certain, but whether you choose the six or the eight-cylinder Camaro, you will wind up with a neo-retro sports car that rewards your senses on almost every level.
2010 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS base price, $33,430. As tested, $36,750.
RS Package, $1,200; Sunroof, $900; 20-inch polished alloy wheels, $470; Destination, $750.
Words and photos by Mark Elias.
Thanks to the Sonic Drive-In, Lake Worth, FL.
